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Please help w/ car rental from Paris...Orly? GdeL? Other?

We will be staying in the 1st and then need to pick up a car to get out to Burgundy, Alsace and then return to visit friends south of Paris who live very near the RER B. As three adults traveling, it is cheaper to rent a car and drive to Burgundy than take the train to Montbard and rent there. Even if the cost of the train made sense, we would then need to train back to Paris after dropping the car at Montbard, transfer to St. Michel via bus and then take the RER B out to the burbs, which just feels like a hassle with my semi-grumpy hubby.

So, I could do a one-way from Gare de Lyon (via Metro 1), returning at ORY where we will either get on the RER B or get picked up by our friends. Worried about the one-way expense. Not worried about getting out of Paris from GdeL.

Or, I could rent at Orly which would make for the easiest time at the end of the trip. (I'm dropping off on a Sunday and the suburban locations like Massy seem to be closed then.) It also looks easier to get to the A6 from ORY than the city. Not critical, but something.

I'd also like the transfer from Hotel to pick-up as easy as possible while not spending more than I have to. Getting to Denfert Rochereau for the Orly Bus is a hassle. I could cab to Invalides and get the AF Bus. Or just take a cab from our city hotel out to the car rental place near Orly, right? It might be close to the price of a train for three out of Paris and way less hassle...

Then there is the RER B. Does anyone know if the RER B stops near the ORY car rentals? I hope I don't have to get on the OrlyVal to get to the airport and then take a shuttle back out! Also, if we go out on the RER, we have to deal with Chatelet, which I dislike.

Well, if you've gotten this far, you get three gold stars from me! I know too much for my own good and am clearly over thinking this. If I were a first-timer, I'd just get in a cab and call it a day.

My real question is, does anyone have some brilliant idea that has not occurred to me? What would you do?

We almost always rent from Hertz and pickup at the Carrousel du Louvre location in the 1st. Usually the cost of getting our luggage to other agencies makes up for any price difference. We have not found any extra cost for returning to another location as long as it is in France. But shop around and see what you think

You can pick up your car in Paris wherever you want. Autoeurope/Kemwel generally uses Europcar for one way rental, for which there is no extra charge, so that the car can be dropped off at Orly. My experience is that Hertz and Avis charge for a one way rental. If you are willing to have the CDW carried by your credit card (generally possible in France) the basic rate offered by Autoeurope/Kemwel is one of the lowest available on a one way rental.

I agree that AutoEurope is the way to go (Kemwel appears to be the very same company using a different name if you compare their website.). Some people will always recommend that you get a car and/or return it out of town to avoid the "madness" of Paris traffic. I too was terrified to drive in Paris the first time, but I immediately discovered that it is really not difficult at all. It is best to pick up a car, go back to your hotel or whatever to pick up your baggage if it is cumbersome and then make an easy drive out of the city. Same thing for returning it.

Picking up a rental car in Paris and making a well planned exit is not the same as driving around Paris. Like kerouac says, driving out of Paris is really not difficult.

If you do use Autoeurope and are thinking about picking up at a train station or airport, the location surcharge, which is not included in the quote, can add close to 40€ to the price of your rental. Simply picking up at a convenient office location in Paris will save this charge.

Autoeurope and Kemwell are owned by the same company. If you ever find a quote that is less than what Autoeurope gives you, call them back and ask for a price match. One advantage in using a US company is that you can avoid the currency conversion/transaction fees, sometimes up to an additional 3% that many banks charge on their credit cards.

AutoEurope does not match Kemwel prices. I had a different experience in Norway. Kemwel prices were lower than Autoreurope's but it turned out that Kemwel's price did not include a one-way fee while Autoeurope did not impose a one-way fee. It turned out that when everything was included, Autoeurope had lower prices. On any contract one needs to read the fine print before committing to the contract.

Another participant on this forum claims that Autoeurope is now charging one-way fees, or did so last year, although I was not charged a one-way fee.

Autoeurope is only a broker. If the company they do business with charges a one way fee i.e. Hertz or Avis, Autoeurope will pass it along and every quote Autoeurope has given me using these two companies has included a one way fee.

I have never seen an Autoeurope quote using Europcar or Sixt that imposed a one way fee for pickup/drop off within France. I avoid Avis and Hertz for this reason.

I spoke with the AE rep and she said "there's never a one-way in France." Well, Kemwel gave me a one-way.

Ambiguous statement as it seems that both companies agree but that the OP seems to see a contradiction. And if the AE rep was implying that one-way rentals are not available, she should look at the web site.

Book directly with autoeurope.fr or europcar.fr and get charged in euros directly

I spoke with the AE rep and she said "there's never a one-way in France."

That is absolutely nonsense. I have booked up to 3 one way rentals a year for over 20 years using Autoeurope. You must have unfortunately connected with a new agent who had no idea what she was telling you.

When I said "never a one-way" I meant never a one-way FEE for the drop. The agent said that Hertz, with whom they usually book, never charges a one-way fee. In fact, the Kemwel quote did include a one-way fee. And it was a Hertz car.

I am also looking for a one way rental and emailed kemwel today. This was there response to my asking about one way drop off fees:

Dear "DebitNM",

Thank you for your response. After we receive your request, we will respond to you letting you know
who the supplier is and whether or not there is a fee. If you would prefer, you can also call us to
get a quote. We can arrange it to be through someone who doesn't charge for the one-way. You can
reach us toll-free at 1-800-678-0678.

[My bold.]
====
This was in reply to my email:

"Thank you for the prompt reply, ---.

I was told that if the car agency is either Avis or Hertz, that there is one-way drop off fee.

At what point in the process will I know who the rental is actually with and if there is a fee?

At what point in the process will I know who the rental is actually with and if there is a fee?

Generally Kemwel uses Europcar in France. However, that applies mainly to train station and airport pick-ups, for which there is a fee, but which is lower than the one way fee charged by Hertz. In town pick-ups (at least in Bordeaux) will be through Hertz or Avis.